Send us some feedback!
| Semper Fi is the motto of the United States Marine Corps. It is short for Semper Fidelis, Latin for always faithful. It is a concept that is engraved on the mind and soul of every Marine. It means steadfast, loyal, dependable, unfailing, reliable, and true. Always —not sometimes, not just when it is convenient, not just when it works out, not just when it is in your own best interests, not just when it suits you, not just when you feel like it—always! Indeed, faithfulness only has significance under stress, that is when it is not convenient, when it is costly, and when it is hard. No wonder there is such comradery and loyalty in the Marine Corps.
This is a highly regarded and commonly extolled sentiment. Certainly there are exceptional cases where loyalty can be a great evil. This was well established at the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war crimes where following orders was not sufficient to justify participation in obvious evil. But exceptions do not undermine the principle of the importance of unwavering faithfulness.
But are we always faithful? Unfortunately, it appears to be rather rare. The fact that we like Semper Fidelis as a motto but not as a lifestyle may be the single biggest social problem we face as a society. We have traded faithfulness for personal autonomy. We allow nothing to get in the way of our personal pursuit of happiness, however we happen to define it at the moment.
The result is that nothing is worth dying for anymore. There is nothing to be utterly faithful to and committed to except our own happiness. I sense that most of us have an inner longing to be devoted to something greater than ourselves. But this notion rarely finds expression because it competes with our self-centered desire for complete discretion to do whatever we want. We are a society where convenience and short-term gratification usually trump conviction. Could it be that our self-centered orientation and preoccupation with pursuing the good life actually works against us?
This was Jesus’ very point when He told His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Matthew 16:24-26)
But even these words only make sense in light of the larger picture – that this world and this life is not all there is, that there is life beyond death and what we do and what believe and how we act in this world matters! |
|
by Dr. J. Patrick Curtis, Senior Pastor |
Send us some feedback!